THE 21ST ANNUAL KLEBAN PRIZE
FOR MUSICAL THEATRE
TWO $100,000 AWARDS TO PROMISING MUSICAL THEATRE TALENT
AWARDED IN 2011 TO
ADAM GWON
2011 KLEBAN PRIZE FOR MOST PROMISING MUSICAL THEATRE LYRICIST
MICHELLE ELLIOTT
2011 KLEBAN PRIZE FOR MOST PROMISING MUSICAL THEATRE LIBRETTIST
AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED JUNE 27, 2011 AT ASCAP
The Kleban Foundation is pleased to announce that the 21st Annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre lyricist has gone to Adam Gwon and the award for the most promising musical theatre librettist has gone to Michelle Elliott. The 2011 awards will be presented on June 27, 2011, in a private ceremony (by invitation only) at ASCAP.
The Kleban Foundation was established in 1988 under the will of Edward L. Kleban, best known as the Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning lyricist of the musical A Chorus Line. The will made provision for two annual prizes, each in the amount of $100,000 payable over two years, to be given to the most promising lyricist and librettist in American Musical Theatre. The judges making the final determination this year were Stephen Flaherty, Michael Korie, and David Zippel.
“For two decades, The Kleban Prize has recognized and honored the American Musical Theatre’s brightest developing talents,” says Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr, President of the Kleban Foundation. “The Kleban Prize is unique in that it is bestowed not just for an artist’s previous achievements, but for the promise of creativity to come. In Ed Kleban’s experience, young composers always seemed able to support themselves in the theatre, but promising lyricists and librettists often had to struggle. This Prize was Kleban’s attempt to help promising writers when they needed support most -- when starting out. The Prize has recognized musical theatre artists who went on to create such notable productions as Avenue Q, Grey Gardens, The Wild Party, Parade, Shrek, The Last Five Years, The Little Mermaid, Assassins, The Wedding Singer and Legally Blonde.”
Previous recipients of the annual Kleban Prize include David Lindsay-Abaire (Shrek), Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years), John Bucchino (A Catered Affair, It’s Only Life), Gretchen Cryer (I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road, The Last Sweet Days of Isaac), Michael Korie (Grey Gardens, Happiness), Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), Michael John LaChiusa (See What I Want To See, The Wild Party), Glenn Slater (The Little Mermaid) and John Weidman (Pacific Overtures, Road Show, Assassins).
ABOUT THE 2011 KLEBAN PRIZE WINNERS
ADAM GWON (2011 Kleban Prize Winner, Most Promising Musical Theatre Lyricist) is a composer/lyricist based in New York City. His musical Ordinary Days enjoyed a sold-out run at Roundabout Underground, followed by productions in London’s West End and at theaters across the U.S. His musical The Boy Detective Fails (book: Joe Meno) will premiere at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA this fall. Other upcoming projects include: Cloudlands (w/ Octavio Solis), Bernice Bobs Her Hair (with Julia Jordan) and String (with Sarah Hammond). Honors include: 2008 Fred Ebb Award for excellence in musical theater songwriting, the ASCAP Harold Adamson Award, the MAC John Wallowitch Award, and a MAC award nomination for best song, as well as commissions from Signature Theatre (Arlington), South Coast Repertory, Broadway Across America, and the EST/Sloan Project. Recordings: Ordinary Days (Ghostlight Records). Fellowships: MacDowell Colony, Dramatists Guild. Education: BFA, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Adam is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. www.adamgwon.com
MICHELLE ELLIOTT (2011 Kleban Prize Winner, Most Promising Musical Theatre Librettist) is a bookwriter/lyricist based in New York City. Her musical Cloaked, written with collaborator Danny Larsen (music/co-lyrics), was recently awarded a 2011 Jonathan Larson Grant. Cloaked received a workshop production at CAP 21 in June 2010, and was part of The Village Theatre's New Works Festival in August 2010. Elliott and Larsen's first musical together, The Yellow Wood, received the 2006 Richard Rodgers Development Award and the 2006 Daryl Roth Award, and was presented as part of the 2007 New York Musical Theatre Festival. The Yellow Wood was also part of the National Alliance of Musical Theatre Festival in October 2008. Elliott was the co-founder and Artistic Director of Frontier Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she wrote, directed and produced six original musicals. Elliott is a proud member of ASCAP. She studied as a bookwriter/lyricist in NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, and was a recipient of the Tisch Achievement Award. She also holds an M.A. in Directing and a B.A. in Performance. For more information, visit www.ElliottLarsenMusicals.com.
Submission guidelines and an application for the 2012 Kleban Prize are available at the New Dramatists website, www.newdramatists.org.
The postmark deadline for the next competition is September 15, 2011.
THE KLEBAN FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Andre Bishop Elliot H. Brown Sheldon Harnick Richard Maltby, Jr. Francis Neuwirth John Weidman Maury Yeston
1990-91
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: MARK CAMPBELL
Most promising musical theatre librettist: GRETCHEN CRYER
Judges: JERRY HERMAN, STEPHEN SONDHEIM, JOSEPH STEIN
1991-92
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: CRAIG CARNELIA
Judges: LEE ADAMS, MARY ROGERS, STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
1992-93
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: BARRY KLEINBORT
Most promising musical theatre librettist: LANIE ROBERTSON
Judges: JERRY BOCK, BETTY COMDON, GRETCHEN CRYER
1993-94
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: (tie) JOE KEENAN and JIM MORGAN
Most promising musical theatre librettist: WILLIAM STRZEMPEK
Judges: SUSAN BIRKENHEAD, CRAIG CARNELIA, JACK VIERTEL
1994-95
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: MARK WALDROP
Most promising musical theatre librettist: JOHN JILER
Judges: SHELDON HARNICK, CHARLES STROUSE, WENDY WASSERSTEIN
1995-96
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: GLENN SLATER
Most promising musical theatre librettist: JOHN WEIDMAN
Judges: CAROL HALL, WILLIAM FINN, JONATHAN TUNICK
1996-97
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: MICHAEL KORIE
Most promising musical theatre librettist: BRIAN CRAWLEY
Judges: MARTIN CHARNIN, JAMES FREYDBERG, DAVID SHIRE
1997-98
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: SARAH SCHLESINGER
Most promising musical theatre librettist: (tie) LISSA LEVIN and LUIS SANTIERO
Judges: ELLEN FITZHUGH, JOHN MORRIS, JOHN WEIDMAN
1998-99
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: KIRSTEN CHILDS
Most promising musical theatre librettist: MICHAEL JOHN LACHIUSA
Judges: LYNN AHRENS, JOHN JILER, JOHN KANDER
1999-2000
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: (tie) MARION ADLER, CHAD BEGUELIN, ROBERT LOPEZ/JEFF MARX and DAVID SPENCER
Most promising musical theatre librettist: STEPHEN COLE
Judges: FRED EBB, HENRY KRIEGER, WILLIAM RUSSELL
2000-01
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: (tie) JOHN BUCCHINO and PATRICK COOK
Most promising musical theatre librettist: CHARLES LEIPART
Judges: NAN KNIGHTON, MICHAEL JOHN LACHIUSA, GLENN SLATER
2001-02
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: JASON ROBERT BROWN
Most promising musical theatre librettist: LORI MCKELVEY
Judges: JEROME COOPERSMITH, MARVIN HAMLISCH, MARSHA NORMAN
2002-03
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: NELL BENJAMIN
Most promising musical theatre librettist: SUSAN DILALLO
Judges: ARTHUR KOPIT, CHARLES LEIPART, FRANK WILDHORN
2003-04
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: LAURENCE O’KEEFE
Most promising musical theatre librettist: JULIA JORDAN
Judges: SUSAN DILALLO, BILL GOLDSTEIN, LONNIE PRICE
2004-05
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: DAVID JAVERBAUM
Most promising musical theatre librettist: (tie) CHERYL L. DAVIS and KEN STONE
Judges: JULIA JORDAN, MICHAEL JOHN LACHIUSA, JEFFREY SWEET
2005-06
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: (tie) ALISON LOUISE HUBBARD
and ROBERT L. FREEDMAN/STEVEN LUTVAK
Most promising musical theatre librettist: LAURENCE HOLZMAN/FELICIA NEEDLEMAN
Judges: CHERYL L. DAVIS, SUSAN DRURY, KEN STONE
2006-07
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: JOE ICONIS
Most promising musical theatre librettist: JEREMY DESMON
Judges: RICK ELICE, CAROL HALL, CHARLES KOPELMAN
2007-08
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE
Most promising musical theatre librettist: (tie) LAURA HARRINGTON
and BILL SOLLY/DONALD WARD
Judges: BETH BLICKERS, LINDA KLINE, GILBERT PARKER
2008-09
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: BETH FALCONE
Most promising musical theatre librettist: KAIT KERRIGAN
Judges: SHELDON HARNICK, THOMAS Z. SHEPARD, SHERMAN YELLEN
2009-10
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: PETER MILLS
Most promising musical theatre librettist: BARRY WYNER
Judges: CRAIG CARNELIA, SUSAN DRURY, JEFFREY SWEET
2010-11
Most promising musical theatre lyricist: ADAM GWON
Most promising musical theatre librettist: MICHELLE ELLIOTT
Judges: STEPHEN FLAHERTY, MICHAEL KORIE, DAVID ZIPPEL
For more information about The Kleban Prize visit
